Graphic Design Foundations Studio - MA

Semester & Location:	Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 6 credits
Major Disciplines:	Design, Graphic Design, Studio Art
Prerequisites:	One drawing course at university level. Knowledge of one or more programs in Adobe Creative Suite. Additional Portfolio Needs: Examples of studio work in a portfolio to be submitted to studio instructor at the beginning of the semester. This will allow the professor to become acquainted with the design skills of each student.
Faculty:	Morten Noer Andersen (current students please reach out to faculty via Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Tue and Fri from 13:15-17:00 in studio (V7-21) - faculty present for three hours during this timeframe. Faculty issue session specifics in announcements and/or calendar (see below)

Course Description

The Studio is the core course of your studies. Design projects are the basis for learning in the studio and will be the basis for discussions, presentations, and the development of individual design skills. The studios at DIS emphasize awareness and knowledge of designing in a context of site, society, and situation and use Copenhagen as an ‘urban laboratory’ for exploration and precedent study. Project work is done both individually and in teams.  

Learning Objectives Across DIS Design Studio Courses

To enhance the individual student’s:

Design Knowledge:

Building an understanding of the Danish and Scandinavian architecture and design tradition - historic as well as contemporary - through the work on assignments, and the study of precedents and case studies in studio

Design Experiences:

Exploring Danish, Scandinavian and Northern European architecture and design on field studies and study tours as well as through the exposure to Danish, Scandinavian and European faculty in studio

Design Skills:

Studying and working with Danish and Scandinavian architecture and design methods and philosophies shaped by democratic, humanistic, and contextual aspirations

• Democratic: We believe design matters to society, its well-being and progress, and our common sanity
• Humanistic: We believe design must care for people, at all levels, in their common and individual everyday, and for the environment as the habitat for human activity
• Contextual: We believe design connects us to what we share – the common ground, history, identity, and each other.

Learning Objectives Specific to this Course

The Graphic Design Foundations Studio serves as an introduction to the world of graphic design. Students in this course will gain knowledge of graphic design by

• Exploring the field of graphic design, the realities of design practice and the procedures of the designer
• Studying graphic design precedents from Denmark, Scandinavia and Europe to build an understanding of the scope and history of graphic design
• Studying and working with basic graphic design elements such as typography, composition, color and images, and learning about associated design terminology
• Gaining knowledge of practical applications of graphic design in a contemporary context through study tours, field studies and guest lectures
• Gaining a basic understanding of design software and how to use these for design development and presentation purposes through concrete work on studio assignments (students will get introductory tutorials in the Adobe Suite primarily)
• Practicing structured approaches to graphic design using the Discover-Define-Develop-Deliver double diamond model
• Exploring conceptual design development through hands-on workshops and charrettes strengthening the individual students design capacity and skill-set
• Building the beginning of students individual design portfolios by carrying out two full hands-on design projects in the course of one semester from initial design challenge to finished presentation of design solution as evidenced in a variety of design products (logos, logotypes, posters, business cards, tote bags, mobile apps, etc.)
• Strengthening oral presentation skills by presenting finished design proposals to design professionals from the graphic design community in Copenhagen

Faculty

Morten Noer Andersen
Graphic designer (Denmark's Design School, 1986). Master of professional development and professional education (University of Copenhagen, 2004). Management studies (DR). Launched the MA Programme, Visual Culture & Identity at KADK Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen (2013-2016). Head of Institute of Communication Design, Denmark's Design School (2001-2007). Head of design at Bysted (2007-2009) and at DR TV (1997-2001). Currently working on a Ph.D. about public visual identity. With DIS since 2018.

Required Reading

Reading material for studio will be distributed by the studio faculty on Canvas.

Prerequisites

One drawing course at university level. Knowledge of one or more programs in Adobe Creative Suite.

Approach to Teaching

Studio instruction is a combination of one-on-one tutoring, discussions, and lectures. The studios are organized as vertical studios, meaning that students of different levels are taught within the same studio. Expectations will relate to each individual student and their respective level of experience.  Studio work will include individual as well as team assignments, both of which are considered important as preparation for later work in the profession. 

Expectations of the Students

Students are required to be fully engaged in the studio discourse, be prepared for each individual desk critique, be present and active in studio Tuesday and Friday throughout the afternoon studio sessions (13:15-17:00), be present and active throughout the presentation and gallery review sessions, and to invest time outside of studio hours developing their projects. If not on field studies in another course, Wednesdays should be used to work on their studio projects as well. Assignment debriefs with faculty will help align the expectations of the student and the professor to guide the rest of the semester.

Portfolio

We request you upload a digital copy of your design portfolio to your Canvas studio page. This will allow your faculty to better understand your background and will make it easier to address your individual progress in your studies in studio. Please within the first week make sure to go to your studio course on Canvas and to Assignments. Portfolio Submission and upload your portfolio.

Core Course Week

The core of your studies in the AD Program at DIS is the studio. The core course week (CCW) is a full week of studies meant to contribute to the advancement of your architectural understanding and your studio work. We do this through a dedicated focus on key themes in Danish architecture and design and the crucial skill of visual note-taking. CCW falls in two interrelated parts:

The first part takes place in Copenhagen, both in class and on field studies. Visits to relevant case studies and exercises in visual note-taking are part of the first days of CCW. The second part takes you on a three-day study tour to Western Denmark. Full-year students go to Berlin.

Field Studies and Study Tours

The field studies and study tours of the Architecture and Design Program (AD) at DIS form an integral part of the learning process. We travel to places to learn through experience and through analysis. We travel to places to understand and ultimately, to become better architects and designers. 

Field Studies

Field studies are excursions to sites within the Copenhagen capital region and are composed of significant, historical sites of design interest as well as contemporary case studies linked to the studio. Field studies take place in connection with studio and at the discretion and choice of the faculty.

Study Tours

Course-integrated, faculty-led study tours are a signature of the DIS curriculum. The AD study tours are constructed around a series of fixed and recurring must-do sites (80% of sites) and new sites and visits that may change from semester to semester (20% of sites). Students travel in groups of 20-24 students, along with a faculty handling the academic visits and a co-leader handling the logistics on the tour.

During Core Course Week a the three-day study tour takes students to both contemporary and historical sites on the island of Fyn and in Jylland.

Later in the semester the week-long study tour will expand students frame of personal experience from Copenhagen to include other countries in Northern Europe.  This is an opportunity to compare what students have studied thus far in Denmark with a larger European context and in turn with previous experiences from students home country.  Visits will include both contemporary and historical sites.

Using a Visual Journal

The very classical way in which architects throughout centuries have kept track of their experiences and learning is something DIS aims to maintain an understanding of among students. We have journal courses, which give students access to ways in which to sketch, note down, annotate and diagram experiences and learning drawn from the study of buildings and places.

On the study tours we have built in sessions where students and tour leaders look at the developing sketchbooks, to share and learn from each other

Evaluation & Grading

Evaluation is based on daily work in studio and on final presentations. Assignments are generally presented to a panel of jurors including the student’s own instructor. Grades are given by the instructor in accordance with other jurors.

To be eligible for a passing grade, you must complete all of the assigned work.

The final grade is determined as follows:

Assignment	Percent
Assignment 1 - Process	15%
Assignment 1 - Presentation	25%
Assignmeent 2 - Process	25%
Assignment 2 - Presentation	35%

Evaluation Criteria for Assignments

Studio Process - Evaluation in studio is based on the following:

• Approach: Student is motivated, positive, engaged in the project and in all studio activities, attending and prepared for every session in studio, inquisitive, self-critical, receptive to input from both faculty and fellow students.
• Production: Student is diligent, productive, continuously engaged in sketching, prototyping, model making, and other forms of physical/digital design development, to support the progress of the project and the dialogue with faculty.
• Innovation: Student is creative and experimenting, continuously willing to push the project forward, exploring different design opportunities, oriented towards generating unique design solutions.

Note, presence and participation at the introductions to assignments, gallery critiques, and Core Course Week events has an impact on your studio process grade.

 Final Presentation - Evaluation is based on completion of design goals agreed upon by student and studio faculty, and the criteria presented below:

• Completeness: Student presents the required deliverables - well-crafted drawings, models and other visual presentation material - to convincingly communicate the scope and content of the project in a meaningful and creative manner.
• Delivery: Student orally presents the project in a well-prepared and organized way, communicating the project intentions in a professional manner and engaging in a receptive and reflective dialogue with critics.
• Design: Student presents a final product of high artistic quality that convincingly shows a conceptually clear and well-motivated design solution where the elements of the brief have been explored thoroughly and creatively.

Academic Regulations  

• Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

  • Course Enrollment and Grading  
  • Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org